Her Sacrifice
by Ashes Upon the Mirror
Summary: What really happened to end the time of struggle? No one knows, the government covered it up, 'til now. Schools have decided that the students have a right to know what really happened. First fic. I suck at summaries. Better then it sounds. T 'cause I sai
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, this is my first fanfiction. I know my writing sucks, but I had to write this. It was originally going to be a oneshot, but I decided to let the readers decide if they wanted more or not. A guy came to our school and talked about this thing called Rachel's Challenge. It moved a lot of us. This story is based loosely off of his story.**

**DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride and other characters don't belong to me. They belong to the wonderful James Patterson.**

The young man got ready to speak to the auditorium filled with students and teachers. If you had told him he would be doing this a few years ago, he would have laughed in your face. But time had changed him. He had escaped from the School and his expiration date had never shown. He was supposed to die at seven. He was twenty-eight now.

Chatter filled the air as students talked to one another, unaware of how this assembly would most likely change their views on life and the people around them. Being around so many people still made him uncomfortable. It was a genetic thing, no matter how much time he spent with crowds, it never changed. The auditorium quieted as the lights dimmed, leaving only a spot light trained on the principal of the school. "Students of MHS, I would like for you to give your _full_ attention to the speaker that has so kindly come in today to speak to you. He has flown in from Arizona, just to tell this story. Let's make him feel welcomed."

Applause filled the air as he walked on stage. He heard a few people gasp, probably amazed at how he looked. '_The wonders of being genetically messed with. Not only do I get to have people stare at me, I get to hear every little thing they say as well,' _he thought to himself sarcastically. He heard a small chuckle coming from the background. _They_ had arrived. He wondered how they had gotten in. '_The mind reader probably got them in here with that mind control thing of hers.'_

_'Yup. You hit the nail right on the head.'_

_'Wonderful. Now get out of my head,'_ the young man snapped.

'_Hehe, okay. Oh, and before you ask, we'll help you in the end. I don't think the principal would be happy about hundreds of kids screaming and running for their lives. And no, I'm not implying that I think you'll attack them.__'_

He sighed, sometimes she could get _so_ annoying. He walked up to the microphone taking deep, calming breaths, and clearing his throat on the way.

"Thank you all for coming here and not skipping like I know some of you would have loved to do. I'm about to tell you a story that will blow your minds and change how you look at _everything_. I know you guys won't believe me, but just listen, this _will_ change your lives."

Whatever noise there had been left disappeared, the silence deafening as the people in the auditorium registered what he had said.

"As you all know, the world was in great turmoil, starting around the year 2000. Weather was crazy, economy was at rock bottom, and all around the world, people were dropping dead on the streets from a new disease that every scientist alive was trying to find a cure for. You all also know that around 2034, the world suddenly became peaceful again, around twenty years ago. Global warming slowly disappeared, greenhouse gas emission levels dropping till they were at the lowest they had been for forty years. Now, do any of you know the reason why everything changed?"

A young girl, probably only a year or two older then _her_ when she had started her mission, raised her hand. He nodded at her and she started to speak. "We, as a planet, entered a time of peace because the leaders of the world had passed numerous eco-friendly rules, and anyone who disobeyed them were put out of business and arrested. Also, scientists had found a cure for the disease that had been killing millions."

"A wonderful answer, stating almost exactly what every history textbook now says. Now, I know you've been taught that for fourteen to eighteen years, but listen to me:

What you have been taught are _lies_. The world doesn't want you to know what really happened. However, one by one, schools have decided that you, the people who are going to inherit the planet have a right, a _need_ to know. I have come here, on request of your superintendent, to tell you the story of what happened. The story of my life."

People started whispering after he finished his little speech. He let them talk, knowing that they would need a little while to let the words sink in. The girl who had answered his question raised her hand again. After a nod she voiced her question. "If it's alright, sir, can I ask you your name?"

He smiled. Out of all the schools he had visited, no one had asked as sweetly or nicely as she had. It was if she had known this was hard for him.

"I don't mind. My name is Ari Batchelder."

**I congratulate all who made it through my horrible writing to this AN. Please review saying what you thought about the story and if you would like me to continue. Flames are _very_ welcome.**

** ~ Heart of Flaming Ice ~  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N. -**** Hello people. I am **_**so**_** sorry it took this long to update. I've been really busy with school and bowling and chorus. So I'm **_**really**_** sorry. Well, here's the next chapter of "Her Sacrifice." I hope you all like it. Lastly, this story is based loosely off of something called Rachel's Challenge. If you would like Information, you can P.M. me or ask me about it in a review. (I'll also put this on the bottom.)**

**This chapter is dedicated to greyskys, )( *wings* )(, Is That Even English?!, nathan-p, Hic-Up-Apple-Nod, jenfan456, and rockababy. Thanks guys! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. Ari, Fang, and the rest of the Flock belong to James Patterson and so does anything else that has to do with Maximum Ride.**

Ari scanned the crowd. "There is something you all need to understand before I start," he began. "Not everyone is as they seem. Take me for instance, what do I look like to you? Just shout out what you think." He closed his eyes slightly, letting his hearing take over. He sifted through the different voices, listening for what he needed.

"Tall."

"Hot." He mentally rolled his eyes at that one and heard soft snickers coming from the back.

"Innocent." He had to keep from laughing at that one and the snickers turned into full out laughter.

"Weak," he heard someone mumble.

Ari's eyes shot open and automatically locked on the person who had said that. He held up his hand, silencing the other replies. "What's your name sir?" he asked the man, eyes unblinking as he stared at him. "The name's Kevin Johnson, I'm a gym teacher here," the man replied, with raised eyebrows. Ari nodded. '_This is going to be fun,_' he thought to himself. "Well Kevin, did I hear correctly when I heard you call me weak?" Ari asked, crossing his arms across his chest. Kevin nodded, looking confused.

'_He's wondering how you heard him, and he's kind of freaked out, too,_' said a voice in his head.

'_He should be freaked out,_' Ari replied in his head. '_And get out of my head, Angel. You know I hate it when you do that._' He heard laughter, and he growled softly. '_Fine, Ari,_' Angel said. '_I'll stay out of your head for the time being. We can't wait to see what you're going to do to the guy .Make it good! We all need a good laugh._' With that, Ari felt Angel leave his mind. He focused his attention back on Kevin who was starting to look a little freaked out. "Well then Kevin, would you like to help me with the first demonstration I have?" Kevin gave a short nod and then quickly walked up to the stage. "Okay, this is going to be really simple," Ari said to both the people in the auditorium and to Kevin. "We're simply going to be lifting weights and see who can lift the most." Ari walked back stage and wheeled out a set of weights.

Ari decided to start small and easily lifted a 30 pound dumbbell. Kevin smirked and lifted a 50 pound dumbbell over his head. Ari smirked back and lifted a 55 pound dumbbell just as easily as he had lifted the first. This continued, each person lifting a dumbbell that was heavier than the one lifted before. Finally, Kevin was finished. He bent to pick up a 150 pound dumbbell, but could only get it up past his knee. He dropped it, panting and sweating. Ari laughed. Deciding it was time to prove his point. He fluidly picked up and lifted the same dumbbell over his head. He put it down and smirked at Kevin. "Had enough yet Kevin?" he teased, still breathing easy and sweat-free. Kevin glared at him, but said nothing. "One more question, how much do weigh?"

"260 pounds, why?" Kevin asked, looking suspicious. "Nothing," said Ari. He walked backstage again and came by with a chair. "Could you please have a seat up here for a couple minutes?" Kevin sat down, still looking suspicious. "Now kids, this isn't to be tried at home," Ari joked, going to stand behind the chair that Kevin was sitting on. He leaned down close to the man's ear. "Don't freak out," he whispered spookily. He stood up straight and bent down. He grabbed one of the legs with a hand. "Are you ready to be amazed?" he asked the people in the auditorium. After a few seconds of cheers, he lifted the chair, slowly and smoothly, until it was high in the air above his head. The cheering stopped and everyone looked on amazed. Kevin looked freaked out, eyes darting everywhere. "Get me down from here!" he shouted. "Okay," Ari replied. He lowered the chair a little and then tossed it ten feet in the air, Kevin screaming the entire way. "As you can see, I'm very strong," he told the students. He moved slightly to the left and shot out is hand, straight up. A second later, the chair, and Kevin, landed on his hand. "And I also have very good reflexes." He put the chair on the ground. Kevin got up and walked shakily offstage and back to his seat.

"Now, I'm also really fast and a great fighter. Who's the fastest runner in this school?" A tall kid with black hair stood up. "I am," he said. "I'm Nick and I've broken ten records already, and I've only been on the track team for a month." Ari motioned Nick up to the stage. "Nick and I are going to have a little race against time," he said. "We're each going to run once around the auditorium and see who can do it quicker. Nick will go first." Ari fished a stopwatch out of his pocket. "On your mark, get set, go!" he shouted. Nick sprinted off stage and around the auditorium as fast as he could. He skidded to a stop next to Ari, panting. "One minute two seconds," Ari stated. "My turn," he said happily, he loved to run. He handed the stopwatch to Nick and got ready to run. "Ready, set, go!" Ari shot off the stage and made his way around the auditorium. He slowed slightly near the back, catching sight of Angel and the others. He gave a quick smile and wave and shot off again, knowing that to everyone except Angel and the Flock he would seem to be a blur and a gust of wind. Ari stopped next to Nick and tapped him on the shoulder. Nick jumped and turned around. His eyes widened in amazement and he looked down at the stopwatch. "Five seconds," he said in amazement. Ari smiled and took the stopwatch back. After telling Nick to go sit back down, he turned back to the crowd.

"As you can see, I'm inhumanely fast and strong. And that's because I'm not human." He stopped as people gasped and started talking to each other. After everyone had calmed down, he went on. "I am human, just not fully. I'm a lupine-avian-human hybrid. In other words, I'm a mutant, a freak. When I was seven, whitecoats, or scientists, grafted wolf DNA into my DNA turning me into what I am now. Because of the wolf DNA, I can morph into what is called an Eraser. I was trained to hunt and kill. A month or two later, they grafted wings onto my back. I was able to _fl_y_._ Now what those scientists did was illegal, and the sad part is that my dad was one of them. But the thing is I'm not the only one. Hundreds of Erasers were made to be guards and to hunt down other mutants that had escaped. Sadly, they were made from children that were stolen from their parents or sold to the company by their parents." He paused as a hand went up, the girl from before.

He nodded to her and she lowered her hand. "What was the company's name? And what other hybrids were created?" she asked. "Those are good questions," said Ari. "Itex was the name of the company, and they owned pretty much everything. As for the mutants, they experimented with pretty much anything, from crocodile-dog hybrids, to fish-human hybrids. Anything you can think of, they tried." Another hand shot up. "What was life like for the mutants," the student asked.

Ari's eyes turned hard and his expression turned somber. "The mutants were kept in cages or dog crates. They were hardly fed and were tested on day and night. They had to run mazes. If they took too long, Erasers were let in and they either had to get out, kill the Eraser, or be killed. They had to run on treadmills until they collapsed, and if they stopped, they were shocked. They had to swallow different kinds of poisons to see the effect it had on them. In other words, it was a living hell."

Everything was quiet for a while as everyone took this in. The same girl from before raised her hand, tentatively. "Ask your question, and then tell me your name. I'd like to know since you've asked most of the questions I've had to answer," Ari said. The girl nodded her head and stood up. "Could you please morph into an Eraser for us?" Ari looked around at the crowd, unsure if he should or not. "Are you guys okay with that?" he asked the crowd. After a chorus of 'yeas' and cheers, he held up his hand.

'_Angel, do you think it would be okay for me to morph?_'

'_It should be fine,_' she said, '_but do you want us to come up as well? Maybe you could have a 'fight' with Fang, for old times' sake. Maybe excite them a little._'

'_Sure, how do you want to do it?'_

'_Morph, look scary, maybe give a roar or snarl. We'll take it from there._'

'_Okay, make it good._' Ari looked at the crowd. "Okay guys, here it goes, and please don't scream too much, I have very sensitive hearing. Ari took a deep breath and slowly started to morph. He felt his teeth lengthen, his face lengthen into a muzzle, and claws grow out of his fingers. Hair sprouted all over his body and his shoulders hunched a little. Finally, it was over. He looked around at the students and teachers. He put a ferocious look on his face and snarled loudly. A couple of students screamed while others paled. Suddenly, kids in the back started screaming and pointing. Five shadows leaped into the air and hovered near the ceiling. The largest one shot toward him while the others started swooping around the room. A man with medium length black hair, black eyes, and twenty foot black wings stopped and hovered in front of him.

"Hey there mutt, whatcha doing?" Fang asked with a playful gleam in his eyes. '_Play along Ari,_' Angel said. With a slight nod and a quick wink, Ari answered Fang. "Nothing much, freak. Actually, now that you've come along, I think I'll rip your throat out," he snarled. "Just try, dog-breath," Fang growled. With a snarl, he shot out his wings and leapt off the stage, stroking his wings hard so he wouldn't hit the students, most of which were screaming now.

He and Fang circled each other, while Angel, Gazzy, Nudge, and Iggy swooped around the room, flying right over the students' and teachers' heads. Fang flew toward him, pulling his arm back for a punch. He angled it so it would just miss Ari. Ari whipped his head around, acting as if it had hit him. His body followed his head and he spun his leg around for a roundhouse kick. He made it come up short, but Fang acted as if it had hit him, dropping a few feet as if the breath had been knocked out of him. They continued this act for about five minutes.

'_Hurry it up you two, I think a couple kids are catching on,_' Angel said. Ari gave a slight nod, as did Fang. Ari flew so that he was above the center of the stage. Fang flew above him and folded in his wings, tackling Ari towards the stage. "On three, I'm going to let go, swoop up then land in the upper right of the stage," Fang whispered in Ari's ear. "You skim along the top of the stage and land in the upper left of the stage. The others will land in the space between us. Got that?" Ari nodded a smile on his lips. "One, two, three!" Fang let go of Ari and swooped up heading toward the upper right corner of the stage. He flew up to the ceiling and dived down, spinning. He landed with his wings outstretched. At the same time, Ari leveled out, so he was flying just above the stage. He angled himself toward the upper left corner of the stage. He started spinning so he looked kind of like a drill, or a sideways tornado. He shot up right before he went over the edge of the stage and landed like Fang had, wings outstretched. One by one, the Flock landed as well, doing graceful arcs and spins.

After everyone ha d calmed down, Ari shot back in the air again. "Ladies and gentleman, I'd like to introduce you to the Flock! Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel!" As their names were called, the Flock members leaped into the air, and started circling around the room. "Hey! Don't forget me," said a voice and everyone looked towards the back. A little black Scottie came running down the center aisle and leaped onto the stage. "Why does everyone forget about me?" the dog asked looking indignant. People gasped and someone shouted out, "The dog just talked!"

Ari laughed. "I'm sorry," he said, still laughing. "And last, but not least, Total, the flying, talking dog!" Total jumped into the air and spread his wings, and flew up to Angel, who gave him a hug and then let him fly around some more. Everyone stared amazed up at the Flock and Ari, amazed. Finally, Ari flew toward the stage, the Flock following his lead. He landed and turned toward the girl. "Okay, I morphed," he said to her. Now it's your turn. What's your name and why are you so interested about this?"

**A.N.-**** How did you guys like the chapter? Please review. Also, should I have the 'mystery girl be Fang and Max's daughter? I kind of have something for her, but I don't know if I should make her their daughter or not. And if you guys have ideas for a name, I would appreciate that, too. This story is based loosely off of something called Rachel's Challenge. If you would like Information, you can P.M. me or ask me about it in a review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: ...Don't kill me? I'm _really_ sorry for not updating for... seven months. I got a severe case of writer's block and this chapter just wouldn't come out. Updates should come sooner now, but still expect random updates, especially with school starting up again soon. I realize that this is much shorter than the last chapter, but I think most will be like this. Well, I think that's it. Read on.**

**This chapter is dedicated to everyone who reviewed and read my story despite it being so long since I updated.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Flock, Ari, or anything else that is related to Maximum Ride. I only own the plot, Aiden, and Artemis, along with anything else that is unrecognizable.**

That Morning:

A large white hawk speckled with black and red feathers flew through the doorway and landed on a pillow next to head of dirty blonde hair. The bird chirruped softly, stroking its beak through the hair in an effort to wake the person up. There was a soft groan before the head turned so the bird could see the face of a teenage girl.

The teen groaned as she sat up, rubbing her eyes with a yawn. The hawk fluttered up to her shoulder and nipped at her ear softly. "Good morning Artemis, did you sleep well?" the girl asked as she stroked Artemis's chest. Artemis dipped his head in a nod and set about preening the girl's hair. She laughed and lifted him from her shoulder, setting him down on the bed frame.

The girl headed toward her closet, pulling out a black form-fitting t-shirt along with a pair of jeans. She threw them on and tied her hair up in a ponytail after brushing it. As she was about to walk out the door, sudden tapping on the window got her attention. Artemis had moved to the window sill and was tapping against it with his foot while looking at her questioningly. She shook her head, looking sorry.

"Not now Artemis, I have to get to school in a bit. Maybe later tonight, okay?" Artemis chirped an affirmative and flew over to land on her outstretched arm. He shuffled a bit so he could rest on her shoulder and ran his beak through the end of the ponytail. The girl smiled and rubbed his feathers before continuing downstairs.

She walked silently down the hall and into the kitchen. She easily spotted her mother who was mumbling to herself with her head stuck in the fridge. She stood in the doorway and just stared at the back of her mother's neck, knowing it would creep her out.

And she was right. Not five seconds later her mother had straightened and whirled around with a scowl, her eyes flashing in annoyance. "Aiden! Will you _quit_ that?" she said with a slight growl to her voice. "Quit what?" Aiden asked with a smirk, "Breathing?" Her mother glared and closed the fridge with a huff after pulling out the eggs.

"You know what. Sometimes I regret telling you those stories, you know that?" Aiden's smirk grew. "I know," she chirped happily. She grabbed a pan from the cabinet along with the eggs her mom had pulled out, quickly scrambling them and putting them on a couple plates. Grabbing a fork, Aiden leaned against a counter and started to eat while her mom took hers to the table.

She picked up a letter with the superintendent's signature on it and read through it before putting it down. "What's this about an all day assembly at school today?" she asked her daughter. Aiden shrugged, swallowing the mouthful of eggs she had in her mouth. "Don't know, mom. The only thing they're telling us is that it's by some guy, something Batchelder." Aiden looked up sharply when she heard a clatter. Her mom was staring at her wide eyed and paler than usual. Her fork had fallen from her hand and now lay on the floor near her chair.

Aiden set her bowl down on the counter and walked over to the table, bending down to pick up the fork. "Mom, you okay?" Her mom jumped slightly, blinking a few times. "Ye-yeah, I'm fine." Aiden narrowed her eyes, opening her mouth to question her mother when said person caught sight of the clock.

"OH! Look at the time- you're going to be late for school Aiden, get going!" With that, the teen was practically shoved out of the house, barely able to grab her bag on the way out. Shooting her mother a look, she started jogging to school.

As soon as she was out of sight, her mother collapsed onto the sofa, her head in her hands. "I really hope he's not who I think he is."

**Okay, that's the end of the third chapter. Leave a review, or if need be, a flame.**

**~Mirror Dragon A.K.A. Heart of Flaming Ice~**


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N. Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed or alerted this story.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Aiden jogged at a normal pace down the street, thinking about her mother's odd reaction. She seemed almost… scared…

Aiden gave her head a hard shake. Her mother did not get _scared_ unless it was something life threatening- even then she usually didn't get scared! And if this Batchelder guy was a threat, she wouldn't be going to school right now. Her mom and her would have been packed up and gone- again.

Not liking where her thoughts were going, Aiden pushed them out of her mind with a sigh, focusing completely on running. Seeing that nobody was around, she gave up her slow, 'normal' pace and actually ran. Her long, dirty blonde hair whipped out behind her like a streamer. Her feet barely touched the ground before they were moved again.

Aiden laughed happily, she loved running. It was one of the only ways she actually felt free and happy. She was forced to slow down when she got closer to the school. Wouldn't want to draw any _more_ attention to herself, now would she?

Loathe as Aiden was to admit it, she actually liked it here, and was pretty sure her mom did, too. The town was quiet, there was a very low crime rate, but there were so many things to do! There were fairs, picnics, a large mall (even though her mom _hated_ shopping), carnivals and circuses that came through town every now and then, and even a horse farm to go trail riding about an hour away. Then there was how much nature had been preserved in the area. There were a bunch of large parks strewn across town and trees, flowers, and bushes were everywhere. There was a large wooded area right behind their house which was on the edge of town, perfect for hikes and other… activities.

Aiden slowed to a walk for the walk up to the front doors of the school. Whispers and stares followed behind her wherever she went. She easily ignored them, walking past with a blank expression on her face. On the inside she was annoyed. She and her mom had moved here about a month ago. Wasn't that enough time to get over the novelty of a new student?

Something knocked into Aiden's arm, causing her to drop her bag, books spilling out onto the cement walkway. That wouldn't have normally happened but today she had been deep in thought and hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings.

A couple of older students walked past her, seniors if their 'Graduating Class- Seniors Rock' shirts were anything to go by. They sneaked looks back at her and snickered, not even trying to hide it.

Aiden shot a nasty glare at their backs, smirking when she caught them shiver and quicken their pace. She knelt to the ground and gathered her things, slipping them back into the bag. With a grunt of annoyance she stood up and slid her bag back onto her shoulder, hurrying off to first period.

Aiden darted into her first period class- Trig. She slipped past the clusters of teens talking to each other to her seat in the back corner of the room, right next to the window. All of the seats around her were empty, and she liked it that way. The other students clustered near the door, in order to get out of the room faster. She didn't really care about that though. She chose the window seat because the window would be the quickest way out of the building in case of an emergency, that was what really mattered to her. That's why she sat in the same seat in all of her classes, right next to the window.

Aiden dug through her bag and pulled out a set of pencils and her drawing book. She flipped through the pages, looking at all the pictures. A lot of them were of her and her mom and different landscapes from aerial view. There were also pictures of each of their houses and some of animals. Flipping to the end of the finished drawings, she turned to a half done picture of her and her mother. Both of them were standing behind the kitchen counter making chocolate chip cookies from scratch, just like her mother liked it.

She was just adding the final touches, a bit of shading and a little more detail when the teacher, Ms. Klass, walked in. Everyone took their seats, quieting down to avoid detentions. Ms. Klass sat down at the computer and quickly took attendance before logging off. She looked at the silent class for a couple seconds, a serious expression on her face. Everyone immediately gave her their attention- Ms. Klass was _never_ serious.

"You will make your way to the auditorium and find seats. You will pay attention and be silent for the _entire_ assembly." She stared them down for a few more seconds before waving them out of the room.

The entire class shot to their feet and rushed out, all of them accept Aiden. She added a few more strokes to a feather before putting her supplies away, closing her book and slinging her bag on her shoulder. With a wave to Ms. Klass she entered the hallway and headed toward the auditorium, her drawing book cradled in her arm. Ms. Klass shook her head, smiling softly. "That Aiden. She could be held at gunpoint and still keep her calm." She closed and locked the door behind her before following behind her class.


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N.: This has been typed up for a few weeks now, I just haven't had the chance to upload it until now what with school and stuff. I planned to upload it over winter break but my family and I went to my grandmother's house. Where there was no internet connection. Anyway, here's chapter 5.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Aiden and the plot.**

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Aiden sat down in a seat in the front, right below a skylight. She could _feel _the excitement coming off of the other students. They sat in their little cliques, talking to each other with wide eyes and animated hand movements. she sighed and took out her colored pencils, starting to shade in the picture as she listened to the kids around her. The sparky feeling of excitement, the tingling one of curiosity, and the 'pit in your stomach' of nervousness swept through her before she took a deep breath, calming herself and soothing the feelings away.

She had only gotten through half of her latest picture before Mr. Gryffn, the principal, came out on stage. It took a while, but everyone eventually quieted down. Aiden half listened to what he said, her mind on what she was going to make for dinner. She sighed quietly. _'Mom can't cook for her life. Unless she needed to poison someone, then she would be fine.'_

She was drawn out of her thoughts when another guy, presumably Batchelder, walked out on stage. _'He's hot,'_ she thought. '_Very hot.'_ She could distantly feel a tingling feeling run down her spine. She closed her eyes and took a few breaths, clearing her mind. She opened them again, thoughts focused on the presentation and nothing else, for now. Tuning back into what the man was saying, she just caught the end of a question. "…made this change?"

Her hand shot up out of reflex, her mind simultaneously going back and replaying what she had heard but hadn't paid attention to. She cursed herself silently when she was called on, hating the attention she received because of it, and recited the answer word for word from a text book she remembered reading. '_Perfect textbook answer, but-'_

"-that's not what actually happened."

Aiden's eyes widened. '_How does he know that? Nobody knows what happened! Except for…_' She mentally slapped herself. '_Don't think about that stupid! You know you're not supposed to.'_

Feeling a strong wave of paranoia, Aiden quickly glanced around her. Spotting nobody out of the ordinary, just the kids she had been going to school with for the past month, she turned her attention back to the man on stage. Her eyes unfocused for a few moments as she blanked her mind, using a short meditation technique that her mother had taught her.

She barely paid attention to what the man continued to say, instead trying to figure out _who_ he was and how he tied into all this. She ruled out white coats. They were all much older people that tended to have this air of "you're not worth my time because I'm so much smarter than you" around them. _'White coat sympathizer? Or maybe the son of a white coat? He's old enough for that. I think there was a Batchelder talked about at the lab now that I think about it.'_

That figured out, she tried to listen to what Batchelder was saying, but worried and paranoid thoughts kept running through her mind, distracting her. She restlessly played with her hands as she waited for a break to ask the man his name, and if necessary, make a break for it.

When the man finally paused in his speaking, Aiden could feel her heart racing. He _knew. _This only further cemented the thought that he was related in some way to the white coats in her mind. Her fists clenched, nails digging into flesh, as her stomach dropped.

'_Where there's one, there are many more to follow.' _

They'd be moving- _once again_- because of this man.

Aiden lowered her head to glare at her lap. '_Just when I thought we found a place we could actually stay! He had to come in and ruin it! Who knows where we'll go now.' _

She wanted to scream in frustration, but of course, she didn't. '_Wouldn't want people to think I'm crazy, now do I?' _she thought vehemently.

She sighed softly and let the glare disappear from her face. '_Time to figure out who this guy is.'_

Putting on a "sweet schoolgirl" face, she raised her head to look up at Batchelder. Raising her hand, she waited until it caught his attention before she asked the question that had been bothering her since she had answered his question- just who exactly _was _he? Except she didn't word it like that; didn't want to seem rude.

His answer made her heart stop, though she hid it with a smile and a softly spoken "Thank you."

_Ari Batchelder.__** Ari **__Batchelder. _

She tilted her head back slightly and stared up at the clouds she could see through the skylight.

'_There's no way it could be the Ari Mom talked about in her stories, could it?'_

She glanced at Ari who was looking out at the chattering people in the audience, her eyes quickly scanning his face.

Her shoulders shook slightly as she silently laughed.

It was.

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**A.N.: So, what do you guys think? Review please? **

**~Dragon~**

**P.S.: By the way, my grandmother hasn't been doing so well lately, so if there is a very long gap between this chapter and the next, that's the reason why.**


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